490 
ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND. 
raised by Mr. Rawlence of flukes being found in tbe livers of calves 
which had never tasted anything but their mothers’ milk. It was im¬ 
portant that such matters should be investigated; and he might add 
that Professor Simonds was ready to give any assistance that lay in his 
power. Some gentlemen supposed that the disease might be transmitted 
by the hay made in wet and low-lying meadows, and the botanical 
authorities would also be glad to give their assistance to the practical man 
who might be appointed. Mr. Dent added that he could not help think¬ 
ing they might get a paper which would interest agriculturists very 
much, and be of considerable service in warning them as to treatment, 
both preventive and curative. As Chairman of the Journal Committee, 
he was chiefly anxious to get a paper which the farmers would read; 
but he hoped the Council would agree to an investigation of both the 
practical and scientific parts of the subject. 
Mr. Jabez Turner said he should like to say a few words on the prac¬ 
tical side of the question. He had that morning received information 
which showed that the subject of flukes, in both sheep and cattle, and 
their development, was very imperfectly understood in certain districts; 
and he thought that the proposed inquiry, if undertaken, should be a 
very full one. He was in possession of particulars from the County of 
Huntingdon of two young and valuable horses dying from the effects of 
these creatures, and also a statement of flocks of sheep which has been 
lost, in some parts to the extent of 70 per cent., and in other parts en¬ 
tirely, which have never been on water-meadows, but always kept on 
high land. He trusted that if a commission were appointed it would 
not entirely consist of scientific gentlemen and veterinary surgeons, but 
that men of practical character would be associated with it. 
Mr. James Rawlence , referring to his remarks at the last Council 
meeting, said he was now able to incontestibly prove the accuracy of his 
statement as to flukes being found in the livers of young calves which 
had never had access to any food other than milk from the cow, as in his 
presence the veterinary surgeon had cut out the flukes from the livers 
of such animals. 
Mr. Randell confessed that his business at the Council meeting w r as 
simply and solely to oppose the application for a grant of £500 to inquire 
into the question of fluke disease, which, he saw from the agenda, was 
about to be asked for. He was, however, very glad to find that the com- 
mitte did not now think of expending so large a sum ; and he fully ad¬ 
mitted that one part of the inquiry which they proposed to make was 
likely to be of great value. He denied the necessity of inquiring into 
the extent to which flocks have been affected; that was, unfortunately, 
sufficiently known. He denied also that it was necessary to inquire into 
the means of preventing rot in sheep. The means had been known for 
generations. Sheep would be rotten iff put on water-meadows and un¬ 
drained clay land in wet seasons; but he was quite convinced that the 
disease might be prevented on other descriptions of land. This could 
be done by getting sheep in the habit of licking salt, which they should 
always be in a position to have free access to. Under these circum¬ 
stances it was only upon land where no man in his senses would put 
sheep that there was any danger. He did not like to parade his own 
practice ; but he might be pardoned for doing so on this occasion. The 
farm which he held was a notoriously rotten farm before he took it. 
Since it came into his occupation, which was more than forty years ago, 
the number of sheep kept upon the farm had been more then quadrupled, 
andjyet he had not had one rotten sheep during the whole of that time. 
He could give instances of other farms where the same thing had hap- 
